


Sunflower Fields

by shelloi



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Fluff, Happy Ending, Human Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Might Have Some Really Graphic Descriptions of Things But I Dunno, Omega Dean Winchester, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Slow Burn, Smut, Sunflowers, Wing Kink, archive warnings apply only for past events, probably, so graphic rape or abuse won't happen outside of flashbacks, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-09-19 20:33:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17008725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelloi/pseuds/shelloi
Summary: He had been walking for days on end. At least that's what it felt like. His stomach growled from hunger and his throat was drier than Africa's savannas during the dry season. His head was pounding, his feet were bleeding and his torn shirt was colored with dried blood. His blood.Dean is an omega. A lone omega, dragging his feet forward step by step in the cold September air in the middle of nowhere in Montana, escaping abuse. He knows he's going to die, but even so, he collapses down on the ground, surrounded by wild sunflowers, not knowing he will be saved by the most unlikely person.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this thing on a whim and that's probably what it'll always be. But I felt like writing it rather than doing all the other things I'm supposed to be doing, so here you go. Read at your own will, I will take no responsibility. 
> 
> Take notice that tags will be added as we go as I don't want to spoil everything there until this thing is actually finished, which probably won't happen in a long long long long long long long looooooong time. 
> 
> Also, just to point out some things to clear stuff up for y'all, in the universe where this fic belongs in, every single human/human-like being has a subgender, that being alpha, beta or omega. We all should know what those are before we start reading this god awful thing you can barely classify as fanfiction, so in case you don't know what they are, please go learn. Now. Fast forward to the moment we all know these things, I would like to clarify that there are no soulmates or true mates or all that stuff and things work mostly the same way they do in our reality. You have your high school sweethearts, fuckbuddies, maybe that 'one and only' you might end up marrying and the divorcing... stuff like that. But also, we have our everyday abuse and discrimination, not only towards women, but towards omegas by those wrong kinda alphas yada yada yada... Alright, we all know what's going on (and also reminder to remember altered genitals/sexual organs since we have out precious lil subgenders..), so I'll let you proceed. 
> 
> Now, have at it. At your own free will and responsibility and all that shite. You're welcome. Now I'm done with my little speech.

He had been walking for days on end. At least that's what it felt like. His stomach growled from hunger and his throat was drier than Africa's savannas during the dry season. His head was pounding, his feet were bleeding and his torn shirt was colored with dried blood. His blood. The sun was setting and it was getting colder by the minute. Of course it was late September and there was nothing better to be expected on a small two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere in Montana. Last car he had seen maybe half an hour ago, or was it two hours? He was sure. It was when he had passed that little town with little motels and pretty little houses but no one to tell him where he was or ask him if he needed help. And he didn't have money which meant he definitely couldn't _buy_ himself any food from the lovely looking diner in the town. His feet were trembling out of exhaustion and he just wanted to close his eyes. Maybe he could find a place to sleep in? An abandoned house or maybe a barn, just to keep him warm for the night.

His feet carried him maybe half a mile more before he collapsed on the side of a dirt road, leading up to a small, abandoned barn. He was too tired to register the big, yellow flowers around him or the cold slowly embracing his weak body. He wouldn't wake up for hours.

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

He woke up slowly, incoherent like he had been startled awake by someone- or some _thing_. He attempted to sit up but the first thing he felt was pain. Throbbing pain all over his body. His torso, feet, arms, head, everywhere just _hurt_. He tried to shake the weariness and pain away so he could take in his surroundings. It took him a moment, but finally he was able to open his eyes, and the first thing he recognized was stone. He was surrounded by it, like he was in a cave. A very warm and comfortable cave. Apparently his wound had been wrapped in some sort of white-ish bandage and his feet had been taken care of as well. Also, he was lying on some sort of bed slash couch slash bench and he found it quite comfortable to sit on. Taking in more of his surroundings, he noticed that there were several little shelves along the walls of the stone cave and they were stuffed with what looked like food and ingredients. Along the walls were mats that seemed to be made out of dry moss, probably grass as well. Maybe they served as an insulant against cold? He looked down and saw that the cold, stone floor was partly covered with similar mats, only sewn tighter together so they were more carper-alike.

In the middle of the room, there was a fire burning low. It was surrounded with rocks and made it look like a neat little campfire indoors. He noticed there also to be some pot-like objects and a small teakettle. He looked up to look to the entryway of the cave and saw moss blankets covering the entrance. Was that a good, or a bad thing?

After taking in his surroundings, the realization finally caught up with him. He wasn't dead. Clearly. He didn't have the imagination to make all this up. But then.. where was he? Obviously in a cave, but it clearly belonged to someone, it was this someone's home and they had brought him up here and taken care of his wounds. Why? Who was this someone? Luckily (or not so?) he didn't have the time to ponder anything more when the rugs covering the entryway were pushed aside and a man walked in. A man with- with- wings?? Yes. That's what they had to be. Two large, feathery _things_ poking out from the creature's back. Indeed a creature, humans did _not_ have wings. Dude clearly had an angel's features and he didn't know what to think of that. The angelic being was wearing barely anything. It had this long, thick looking cloth wrapped around its waist, like those Scottish kilts, but no shirt of any kind. It did have this weird, poncho sort of clothing covering its upper body, but he could see the tattoos on the creature’s arms, legs and torso. The poncho seemed to be made of thick wool and was probably real warm, and it was decorated with a few colorful stripes. When he came back to his senses, he realized the _thing_ had stopped and was now standing five feet away from him, watching him curiously and also a bit.. worriedly? Nervously? He found himself pulling back into himself, tensing up and taking a more protective pose just in case this _thing_ wanted to hurt him.

"You have woken up", the _thing_ spoke. Its voice was deep, a little rough, but pleasant and calming.

He stared at the _thing_ without moving an inch, keeping his eyes trained on it in case it tried something. He couldn't bring himself to utter a word which was awfully unusual to him. The creature frowned and took a slow step closer, its giant, raven black wings folding a little tighter behind its back.

"Please, do not be afraid of me. I am not here to hurt you. I just need to know if you're feeling alright."

He managed a small, tense, almost forced nod at the _thing's_ words, unsure of what more to say. The creature clearly waited for a response.

"You-" dammit, his voice was raw and scratchy and gross. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You... took care of my wounds?" he asked quietly, fighting the urge to tighten his hold against his abdomen where the largest, most painful wound lay.

"Yes. I did. Are you in pain? I could make you some pain relieving tea", the _thing_ offered. It sounded so calm and careful, like this wasn't its first ride.

After speaking once, he had the courage and will to do so again. "Where am I?" he demanded. "Who- _what_

_The creature didn't look very taken aback by these questions, maybe a little. It seemed to get slightly nervous again. What the hell was going on? "You are inside of my home. In the mountains. And I am an angel. Named Castiel, if you will", the creature explained, holding his gaze intensely._

"An angel? A bloody angel?"

Guess that explained the wings, then. Maybe he should tell the _thi_ \- Castiel, his own name. That took a silence, a long silence, with nothing but weird, uncomfortable staring. He noticed Castiel had blue eyes. No, not just blue. Deep azure blue with bright arctic hues making his eyes look so enticing and fucking _beautiful_. You just had to look into them, really look. He got a good look at Castiel's face too, taking in the rough but sleek lines that made up his face, that gorgeous jawline, slight stubble and squinting eyes, chapped but soft-looking lips... Now he was really getting lost there.

"Dean", he spoke, a little more quiet than usual. "I'm Dean."

There was  _almost_ a small smile on Castiel's lips, a small twitch at the corner. Was it a smile? Dean wasn't sure, his head was still pounding and his abdomen throbbing with pain. He had also kept that protective pose, curling into himself with his body as tense as a rock. He noted that the angel's wings twitched slightly. Was that a positive thing? Dean wasn't sure of that either, he was in too much pain.

"How are you feeling, Dean?" the angel asked softly, like it was intentionally trying to be calm and gentle to keep Dean calm. To his defense, it was sort of working.

"Hurts..." he admitted, grunting softly and easing his hold of himself.

"I will make some tea. It will help with the pain and should calm you down as well", the angel spoke and stepped closer to Dean before crouching down at the fire. He lifted the teakettle over some kind of frame over the fire that seemed to act as a stand to keep the pot over the fire so it could warm up whatever was inside. It was quite clever, Dean could admit that much. 

"Where am I?" he asked again, his voice less nervous and more demanding. But in truth, it wasn't like this creature kidnapped Dean. He wasn't rotting in a cell or dead on that dirt road where he had passed out. Things were pretty good, to be honest, but Dean still enjoyed knowing of his own whereabouts. Not that he had anywhere to be. This was quite a nice place, too. 

"In the mountains, like I told you", the angel replied and if anything annoyed Dean, it was vague answers.

"Not shit, Sherlock. Where am I precisely? Are we still in Montana? We gotta be right? These are the Rockies, right? What's the closest town?" Dean continued, annoyance now distinguishable in his voice. "Tell me where the fuck am I, exactly", he demanded, raising his voice just a bit.

"Yes, I believe these mountains are 'The Rockies', as you humans call them. The nearest town is called 'Saint Mary'. There's also a town called 'East Glacier Park Village' down south from Saint Mary. The trip there is over seven hours long by foot, though", the angel explained with just a hint too much calm in his voice. It was getting annoying. Dean's brain was still mushed up to demand any more answers to anything, so he stayed silent and just watched the angel work on the tea. Looked like he was making food for himself. Maybe Dean could have a bite too?

"Would you like to eat?" the angel asked suddenly, looking up to Dean with uncertainty shining in his blue eyes. Dean wasn't sure what to answer.

"I made carrot and rabbit. There's some mashed berries as well, to go with the meat", he continued, glancing down at the food he was making like he was self-conscious about it. It sounded edible, so Dean nodded and let out a soft noise of agreement. 

Castiel glanced up at Dean and once he saw his positive response his eyes got considerably brighter. Dean couldn't help the little smile tugging at his lips when the angel prepared the food and the tea enthusiastically. Did this mean the angel lived alone and didn't serve anyone else food? Another question to remember later.

Soon Castiel placed a small, wooden, mug-like bowl on the bench next to Dean and he picked it up carefully, taking a sniff at the hot liquid before he would taste it. It didn't smell too good, but it didn't smell like vomit either, so Dean took a very careful sip of the brown-ish, see-through liquid and tasted it on his tongue as long as it stayed warm. It wasn't awfully unpleasant, but it wasn't really good either. 

"What the hell is this stuff?" he questioned, glancing at the angel who appeared to be staring right at him like waiting for his reaction.

"There are different herbs in the tea. Like willow bark, chamomile, lavender and heartsease", the angel told him calmly, though the look on his face was still wary. "Does it taste alright?"

"Yeah, it's... It's okay, not the best but not the worst. I'm not much of a tea person", Dean admitted and took another sip from the mug. Castiel didn't give him another reply and a silence fell over them. This time it wasn't uncomfortable and Dean found himself almost enjoying it. 

After a while had passed, Castiel got up and went to fetch two wooden bowls. Dean had no trouble guessing what they were for when the angel portioned the food on both of them with equal amounts. He then passed it to Dean with a spoon lookalike object and sat cross-legged on the mat across from Dean, beginning to eat his own meal. Dean looked down at his own bowl and it sure did look like mashed carrots, small pieces of red beat and some red berry mash that Dean imagined to be cowberry. He dug in and hummed his approval when everything tasted just like they should. It was wonderful and he wolfed down everything. In his defense, he hadn't eaten in a very long time. When he looked up, he saw Castiel watching him and his face reddened a bit from embarrassment. The angel only smiled though, like he was happy at how eager Dean had been to eat.

"There is still some more left, if you are still hungry", he offered and pointed at the bowls laying around the fireplace. Dean nodded and sat there quietly for a while before he got up with quite a lot of difficulty to fetch another portion of food. Castiel sat there, watching and observing, but didn't rush to help like Dean almost expected him to. Maybe the dude was aware of personal space or something.

After returning to his seat, he ate and continued sipping his tea. He was feeling a hundred times better already. 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

When the light coming from underneath the rugs covering the entrance began fading, Dean realized he had no idea of what day and time it was. He looked around, but obviously there was nothing he could get any information from. Even Castiel had left to do something outside of the cave without any further explanation, and for some reason Dean didn't feel safe leaving the cave without the angel's guide.

He hadn't moved anywhere from his seat on the couchbench (that's what he had began calling it) except to take a quick leak. That had certainly been an experience with his feet on fire and abdomen punctured. At least his head didn't hurt anymore and now he was free to think. So, he knew where he was, or at least by what the angel had told him, he had been here for approximately for a day and he knew that Castiel wasn't about to eat him. He had also noticed (for his alarm) that Castiel was an alpha. A bloody alpha angel. Could it get worse? But the dude had taken care of him and didn't touch him any more than absolutely necessary, so there was that. Maybe he was safe for now. With all that information pulled together, he knew he was here and wasn't about to leave anywhere just yet.

His next problem was sleeping the night which was approaching way too fast for Dean's liking. Would he sleep here on this weird couchbench thing, or did Castiel happen to have a guest bed or something? Luckily Dean didn't have to think that for long because that's when Castiel entered the cave again and closed the rugs neatly together as if he was locking the front door for the night. Dean watched him move around, waiting for something. 

"You can sleep in my nest", he said after a while, not looking at Dean. He could hear that unease in Castiel's voice and he wasn't sure what to make of it. "So you'll be comfortable." Nest? Dude had a nest??

"What? No, I ain't takin' your bed", Dean quickly insisted, frowning at the angel. "I can sleep here or something. It's comfortable enough", he assured, patting the soft surface beneath him. Castiel looked at Dean, then at the couchbench and then back at Dean, then deeper into his cave. Wait- there was more to the cave?

"I- You are my guest, Dean. And you are hurt. I wish for you to be as comfortable as possible. I can sleep somewhere else this once."

"Cas- Shut up. Either I'm taking this couchbenchthing or we share that goddamn nest of yours. I'm not gonna drive you out of your own bed", Dean insisted. 

Castiel blushed at Dean's words and jeez, that was something new. Dude was blushing like a fucking tomato. Dean smirked in his mind at the little accomplishment. 

"Alright. You can sleep there. This once. I will fetch you more mats so you will stay warm for the night", he explained, his voice a little shy as he walked out of Dean's sight. Dean couldn't help the slight twinge of disappointment in his gut when Castiel didn't wanna share his personal space, but the fuck was Dean thinking??? Wanting to sleep next to the other dude? Really Dean? The hell is wrong with you?

Before Dean could beat himself up more about the subject, Castiel was back, carrying excess mats. He carried them over to Dean and laid them all over the couchbench, leaving Dean the choice of moving them how he wished. The bench-couch-whatever was only ten or twelve inches from the ground, so Dean wasn't too afraid of falling off of it during the night. It was around three foot wide and good enough for sleeping in Dean's mind, so he made work of the moss mats before laying down comfortably and exhaling heavily. This was a fine bed for him, although Castiel's nest  _did_ sound quite inviting. 

Castiel stood five feet away from him, watching carefully before he shuffled his wings and nodded a little. 

"Goodnight, Dean."

Dean glanced at him and smiled a little to the give the guy a peace of mind. 

"'Night, Cas."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps! You have no idea how happy I am of the positive and expectant reception only after the first chapter. It's really giving me the will to continue this fic regularly and on time. Speaking of which, I'll most likely update the fic once a week on weekends (Saturday/Sunday, whenever's the best), of course depending on my schedule and all that. Also, since it's the holidays (at least in Finland), you'll be getting a little gift, as in an early third chapter, that I'll try to publish somewhere between 24th and 26th.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Light was shining right into his eyes from somewhere and it forced Dean to turn away. He ended up sliding a bit too much to the left and found himself falling a short way before he landed on the stone floor covered in moss mats with a soft thump. He opened his eyes when his still sleepy brain processed what had happened and turned on his back, staring at the dark, stone roof roughly six feet above him. Where was he again? Oh, that's right. In a cave. In the mountains. With a black winged angel named Castiel. Who just had happened to save him from dying. Great.

Dean sat up and looked around, taking in his slightly familiar surroundings. Yeah, fireplace, teakettle, mats, shelves carved into the stone... As he looked around still a little hazy from sleep, he noticed that he large mats covering the entrance of the cave were pulled aside slightly and there was light seeping inside. That meant Castiel had probably gone out already. Dean slowly got off the floor and sat back down on the couchbench, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do now. Make himself breakfast? Go outside to look for his guardian angel? Sit there and wait silently? Leave??? No, Dean wasn't going anywhere, not yet, not as long as this was the safest place for him to stay at.

Now would be very convenient for him to know just what time it was, other than the information that the sun was clearly shining and birds were chirping and all that shit. He could feel his stomach growling from hunger and that's when he realized he was wearing barely any clothes at all. How had he not noticed that before? Dean quickly glanced around and about, trying to spot his clothes somewhere. He found them neatly folded on top of a... footstool? Yeah, that's what it resembled, but it was clearly meant for sitting, or maybe just a place to put stuff on. Like his clothes. Dean carefully stood up, his feet still burning as he slowly inched towards the small stool where his clothes were resting on. He managed the short trip of four feet to the chair and grabbed his clothes before sitting down on their place.

Dean began pulling his clothes on carefully, cautious about the stab wound on the right side of his stomach and his scraped feet. Though he didn't even have any kind of socks or shoes anymore anyway, must have lost them somewhere along the way.

Once he was dressed in his gray Zeppelin hoodie and worn out, dark blue, slightly teared jeans, he made his way to the entrance of the cave to see where he was. As he pulled the rugs aside a little, a soft, cool gust of wind blew right in his face. It was refreshing and Dean breathed in the fresh mountain air before stepping outside. What he saw was the opposite of what he had expected. He had expected some rocks and trees and birds, but what he ended up seeing was a whole village of angels. Almost. Dean was exaggerating quite a bit. There were many caves along the rock around a small, open square. There were a few outside fires scattered along the square and in the middle was what looked like a marketplace. Not exactly what modern day humans called a market, but there were a few stalls and angels just walking about. Carpenters, blacksmiths, bakers, all that. Dean was pretty fucking taken aback.

He almost wanted to jump back inside for shelter and safety, but something kept him from doing that. He continued taking in the view, now noticing the angels and their different colored wings. Kids, adults, old folk... just the normal kinda people, but with wings. Dean continued searching for Cas with his gaze, but didn't see a single pair of black wings among the angels. Not that there were many, maybe about thirty or forty people in total, just chatting about and living their normal lives. Dean also noticed tiny angels running and flying around, clearly playing with each other. He noticed a few humans among the angels as well. He really should try talking to one later on.

Dean was paying attention to the different kinds of clothing the angels were wearing when he saw Castiel emerge from the entrance of a bigger cave on the opposite side of the square. There were two guards standing at the sides of the entrance and Dean assumed that place belonged to someone important. Maybe a leader or something? With Castiel was an older man with a tight, straight posture, a fancy looking outfit (kinda like a toga or something but with ornaments on the fabric?) and an annoyed look on his ugly face. Both looked serious as they talked while walking slowly. The ugly dude seemed pretty angry and annoyed with Cas but he clearly wasn't yelling. It was that cold, scary kinda anger and Dean shuddered.

When both men glanced up and saw Dean standing at the entrance of Castiel's cave, they both stopped and visibly stiffened. So they were arguing about Dean. Great. The ugly dude turned to look at Castiel, but didn't seem to say anything. Castiel just continued staring Dean before finally turning to the other one, saying something. The ugly dude just turned away and returned to his cave and Dean took that as a dismissal for Castiel, who began marching back towards Dean.

Dean waited for Castiel at the entrance of his cave, standing still and feeling a little awkward. He tried to smile at the angel who arrived to him sooner than Dean had expected. Dude looked real pensive and Dean found himself feeling a little worried.

"Mornin', Cas", he greeted, offering a weak smile. He knew that something wasn't right.

"Could you return inside, please", Castiel spoke, his voice almost dangerous but also tense and anxious. It was an order, not a question. Dean turned on his heels and walked back inside, returning to sit on the couchbenchthingy.

"So, uh... What's up? Everythin' good?" he asked, glancing at Cas. He could see the angel's wings fluttering nervously and his whole body was tense. What on earth was going on? Castiel didn't even bother answering, just walked back inside and began cooking breakfast (presumably).

"Dude, talk to me. I'm not blind, I can tell something's up and it ain't good", Dean said, getting a little annoyed now and letting it be heard in his voice. Castiel sighed and Dean hoped that meant he would open his fucking mouth and say something.

"I went to see Raphael, our leader, this morning. To tell him about you. It was my responsibility. We are not allowed to be in touch with humans we don't know and who don't know about us", the angel explained, his voice quiet and tense just like the rest of the angel.

"Yeah, and?" Dean urged on. "Why am I here in that case? If you weren't really even allowed to help me? And the hell's gonna happen now?" Dean questioned, getting a little alarmed by the information.

"Nothing bad will happen to you, Dean, I promise. I will keep you safe, you are my responsibility", Castiel continued, still not looking at Dean.

"Yeah? And what about you? They're not gonna hurt you or lock you up or something, are they?" Dean asked, annoyed and worried at the same time. It was a confusing feeling. Suddenly Castiel looked up at Dean, right into his eyes.

"They won't 'lock me up' as you put it, or hurt me. They realize that our people would find that discriminatory, since you aren't the first human here, nor am I the first one to defy that rule."

"Yeah, I thought I saw some humans there. Who are they then? Why are they allowed to be here if I'm not?" Dean questioned, utterly confused by now.

"They are the humans we trust. A few angels have mated to the humans from the smaller villages around that know of our existence. You are from the outside world, Dean. That's why no one trusts you, other than me of course", the angel explained with a soft sigh. Ooohhhh... Now Dean understood, alright. So that's probably the reason he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. He had seen the angels and now knew things about them, which meant they obviously thought that if Dean was to leave, he would go around telling about their little angel tribe and then people would come and kill them, or steal and lock them up like circus animals.

"I see", Dean murmured, watching Cas quietly. "So, uh... What's gonna happen now?" he asked. "I gotta stay here, don't I?"

Castiel sighed, looking away from Dean once again. "Yes", he admitted quietly. "But I will make sure you'll be happy here. And I will keep you safe, I promise, Dean", he said, a hint of desperation, maybe sadness, in his deep, rough, _fucking hot_ voice. He turned to look at Dean again with a frown on his chapped lips and eyes brooding.

"Don't worry about me like that, Cas. I'm sure I'll be fine. Now- how about that breakfast? Then you could show me around your little village", Dean spoke, letting that hint of excitement show in his voice and a grin lift the corners of his mouth up. That made Castiel smile as well and Dean did a little victory dance in his head.

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Castiel made them some kind of oatmeal with berries on the side for breakfast and Dean was a little wary about it until he actually tasted it. After eating two bowls of Castiel's oatmeal, they made their way outside where Castiel began telling Dean more about angels and their little village. They walked around and met some angels Castiel was acquaintances with. There was Anna, a friendly young angel with ginger feathers. Gabriel, a pain-in-the-ass angel who was munching on some kind of candy he had learned to make with a human's help, he had a pair of golden brown wings and apparently every single angel in the clan was done with him, except for the kids who loved him and his tricks. Castiel told Dean that Gabriel had been the first one in the clan to defy the rule of bringing humans close and he was also the one who did most of the business arrangements between the species. Dean got the impression that Gabriel would've been kicked out of the clan if it wasn't for his high rank (he was the little brother of another clan leader) and his job as an angel—human business trader.

Then there was Balthazar, apparently part of the one garrison the clan had and yet another pain in the ass like Gabriel. Dude was apparently from Britain and had travelled the world before joining Raphael's clan. He seemed to be Castiel's friend, although a bit of a selfish git and a lover of luxuries. After Balthazar they met some kids, curious-as-fuck kids who danced and ran around Dean excited about someone new and non-angelic. But Dean wasn't annoyed for long, because apparently the kids liking (and annoying Dean) was funny to Castiel and it made him even let out a small chuckle. Okay, Dean could deal with a couple of kids if it meant Castiel smiling. As the kids calmed down and began shooting him questions, Castiel told Dean their names. Anael, with white, fluffy wings with hues of pink and red, Dumah, a shy little angel with dark hazelnut wings, Ophiel, a little older kid with apricot colored feathers, Purah, an angel with light beige wings with hues of gray in them and finally Sophia, a wise looking young girl with small, cinnamon colored wings with hues of violet in her soft, puffy feathers. Cas told him later that Sophia was the only human-angel child in the clan and her mother had died during the birth.

After meeting the kids, Castiel walked with Dean through their little market place and introduced him to their angelic way of craftsmanship. Dean was definitely intrigued and listened attentively to everything Castiel said and taught him. On their way through the tiny village, Dean noticed how some angels looked at him like they were disgusted. Was that because of Dean, or because of Castiel? He had noted earlier how Castiel's little cave was further from everyone else's, secluded even. Dean could admit he enjoyed the privacy, but it was still a little odd to him, it didn't seem right. Or maybe Castiel just happened to be the lonelier type?

A little later on after the small tour through the village, Castiel led Dean back to his home and began making lunch- or maybe early dinner?

"Hey, uh... Cas? How do you guys tell the time here?" Dean asked as he sat on the couchbench and watched Castiel work on the food. Apparently they were having some kind of soup and it definitely smelled good.

"We mostly live with the sun", Castiel explained. "During the winter it's a little more difficult, of course, but the schedule built during the summer has been... hmm... How should I say it? Engraved? Yes, it has been engraved into our brain, so it's not all that difficult to keep it up during the winter when there's less light." Dean listened and hummed along to Castiel's explanation, nodding absentmindedly. That was the kind of information that he probably should've realized without Cas having to explain.

"Can I ask you something more?" Dean asked, eyeing Cas curiously but a little warily.

"Of course, Dean, anything."

"Why's your cave so secluded? Why aren't up there at the square like everyone else?"

Castiel tensed up and Dean realized immediately that it was personal question and he really shouldn't have mentioned it, much less ask about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's your little Christmas present. And as said, it's really a tinytinytinytiny present, left it a little short, sorry about that. You'll get your next chapter on Sunday then and I'll write that longer to make up for this one.
> 
> Hope you'll still enjoy! Also, please let me know what you think ;)

Dean waited nervously, watching Cas carefully and trying to anticipate if the guy was gonna break his neck now. Castiel's feathers visibly twitched slightly but otherwise the guy sat there stoically, staring at the fire in front of him. The silence following was awkward, painful and fucking _long_. But finally, after at least three or four painful minutes, the angel shifted and looked down at the plait he had been preparing.

"The food is getting cold, we should eat."

That was what Dean got? Instead of a proper answer, the guy just ditched the entire topic like Dean never asked anything? What the fuck, man? But still, Dean found himself just nodding and letting Cas move on from the question. The silence during which Castiel poured the soup into two wooden bowls wasn't as uncomfortable anymore and Dean thanked whichever gods were listening. He didn't want the rest of the day be awkward between them. Dean tried to come up with something else to talk about to take both their minds off the previous subject.

"Could I, uh... Could I talk to the humans in the... in the clan, later this day? Or maybe some other day? Whatever is best for you?" he asked a little awkwardly, still unsure what he was allowed to ask for.

Castiel didn't look up to answer Dean, just began eating like he was avoiding eye contact or something. "Yes, of course, Dean. I'm sure they would be delighted to have a word with you. They don't often leave the clan."

Dean nodded at the information and began eating as well so he wouldn't have to come up with things to talk about.

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

An hour later Castiel walked with Dean to the opening of one of the caves, not far from Castiel's own. There were three people without wings sitting around, talking animatedly and clearly deep in conversation. Dean noted they were wearing similar clothing as the angels but clearly with some influence from human clothes. It made Dean feel a bit more comfortable around them.

Castiel introduced Dean to the three humans. One man, called Emmanuel, and two women, Ava and Rachel. All of them welcomed Dean happily and encouraged him to sit down and tell more about himself. Dean was happy to do so and barely noticed when Castiel disappeared.

"Dean, you have to tell everything about yourself!" Ava insisted excitedly, her smile and eyes bright.

"Ava, calm down for goodness sake. Let the man breathe", Rachel chuckled softly, brushing her dark brown, almost black hair over her shoulder.

Dean smiled, relaxing a bit around other humans. "It's fine, I actually wanted to talk to you guys since you're the only humans around here and I feel a little... odd? I dunno... But if you wanna know about me, I'm from Kansas originally. I've got a little brother and uh.. that's mostly it. I ain't all that interesting. I actually have some questions for you guys, like... Why on earth are you here? Mated to angels, the hell?" Very smoothly played, Dean...

All of the humans stared at Dean for a few seconds before bursting out laughing, Emmanuel included. Dean's brows shot up in surprise. This was not the reaction was far from the one he had been expecting.

"We've known of the angels since our childhood", Emmanuel spoke up, his voice deep and gentle. It reminded Dean of Cas a little. "Sometimes Gabriel and Balthazar visit the nearest villages for trade, news... All things like so. And sometimes people visit our little village up here, just to see us and buy things only angels are capable of making."

Dean listened to the man attentively, honestly curious and wanting to learn. He nodded, watching Emmanuel as the man explained the angels' ways of living with the humans.

"You know how people find the loves of their lives or 'the right one', yeah? Then they mate and live happily ever after? That's what we're doing, but we found our mates in the angels here. I mean, sure, Raphael isn't very fond of us, but he's gotten used to it and he's kind enough. We get to visit our families down in the villages every now and then, but our lives are here and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we really are happy", Rachel spoke, serious but with a fond smile. Ava and Emmanuel nodded in agreement to her words.

"So don't worry Dean, I'm sure it'll work out for you! You and Castiel will make an adorable pair!" Ava spoke excitedly but Dean froze, staring at her with almost comically wide eyes.

"W-Wait- What?! No, no, no, no, me and Castiel are _not_ a couple, won't be. He just- happened to save me", Dean spoke frantically, trying to make everyone, including him, believe that. All three humans just stared at him before nodding slightly.

"Right... Totally..." Rachel mused quietly as Ava clearly tried to hold back a snicker.

"Well, Dean, for whatever it's worth, I'm glad it was Castiel who found you. He's lonely and no-one really respects him, but he's kind, patient and gentle and he'll take care of you. You know you can't leave", Emmanuel spoke, his voice intentionally calm and collected, just to keep Dean in his bones.

Dean sobered up quickly and after swallowing heavily, he nodded, trying to process the fact that he really was stuck here. For an indefinite amount of time.

"So, uh... Why is he so... you know, _isolated_?" Dean questioned a little uncertainly. Castiel hadn't taken that question well. At all.

"His wings", Ava spoke before anyone could stop her. "Shhh, shut up Ava", Rachel commanded, glaring at her. "You know it's none of our business and we're not supposed to talk about it", she continued, clearly annoyed. Emmanuel just sighed.

"You haven't seen another angel with black wings, have you, Dean? It's a disgrace, or so some angels think. I think it has always been that way, although some think that kind of discrimination is bullshit. I can say that for myself at least, and a few angels around too. Everyone his age have gotten mated long time ago, but not him. It's a miracle he's still here..." Emmanuel explained, his face weary and displaying his thoughts on what he just told Dean. And Dean was speechless.

"Are you kidding me?" was all Dean could come up with. This was bullshit in his opinion and he knew he would treat Cas a lot better than these dicks with wings.

"Unfortunately not..." Rachel whispered.

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

After their talk between four humans, Dean made his way back to Castiel's cave, only to find it empty of any angel. He frowned as he searched the place thoroughly just in case. No Cas in sight. Dean knew he shouldn't go search for the dude, he would probably be back any minute now and Dean was still badly injured, but he couldn't seem to shake off the feeling of worry.

Dean probably chose the worst option and left the cave to start looking around it a bit. He was just getting familiar with the environment. Right? Nothing bad about that. And if he happened to find Cas on his little adventure, that was just a plus side. Right..?

Right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry peeps, didn't manage to write this chapter for Sunday and then New Years came around and then there was my birthday (sweet 17...) and then I didn't feel like writing and all kinds of bad excuses. Well, here you finally have the fourth chapter, bad writing and all that, hurried and not beta read, you know the deal... Still hope you enjoy it though, and I hope you can deal with my shit just to keep reading. Love ya'll ♥

_One minute he was fixing up a car and another he was being pressed up against a wall. Dean wasn't sure what happened in between those moment, but he didn't have the time to think. The Alpha was choking him, taking his breath away in the negative kind of way and growling and taking his nasty cock out of his dirty jeans. Dean knew what to do and this wasn't his first time dealing with this kinda crap._

_Acting quickly, Dean kicked the guy in the nuts and when he doubled over from pain and released his hold from Dean's neck, Dean ran without looking behind. He looked around and realized he had no clue where he was, so he just kept going until he reached the parking lot of a sweet looking diner. Dean quickly made his way to the shadowed wall on the left side of the diner and sat against the wall to calm his breath and wait it out. He knew he had gotten away from the man who had almost- Yeah, he was safe now. But he still had no idea where the fuck he was at. Was he still in Lawrence? Nothing around seemed familiar to him. What the hell had happened between his regular shift at Bobby's garage and getting choked against a tile wall in the middle of... somewhere?_

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Dean bolted up from where he had apparently been sleeping, gasping for breath and feeling sweat clinging his clothes to his skin. He looked around frantically, trying to recognize the place and remember where he was. Stone walls, smell of burning wood, moss blankets. Right, he was in an angel's cave. Castiel's cave to be exact.

Dean took deep breaths to calm himself down. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and took another deep breath as he sat there, leaning against his propped up knees. He was safe. He wasn't being hunted or being groped by crazy alphas. He shook his head a little to shake off the last bits of the all too recent nightmare from his mind and got up from the bench.

As Dean stood there, looking around and taking in the familiar surrounding, he became aware of the aching stab wound on his torso and the sparseness of any clothes. For one, he didn't have a shirt on, only the bandage wrapped around his torso to protect the wound. And also a pair of weird, long shorts, apparently human made. They were worn and had probably been some kind of dusty blue, whenever that had been. They were almost like the bottom of some weird kind of pajamas, but not really. Dean didn't know what to think of them as he searched for a shirt. He was getting cold.

Once finding an actual hoodie of his own to wear, again neatly folded and laid on top of that stool near the wall, Dean made his way out of the cave. He wasn't sure of the time of the day, since he had only recently woken up and couldn't really remember the events of the past day except for when he had returned to the cave after talking to the only other humans in the clan.

It was sunny again, birds chirping in the woods and a gentle gust of wind blew into Dean's face as he parted the rugs from the entrance of the cave. Surprisingly nice weather for September, in the mountains nonetheless. The sight that greeted him was yet again similar to yesterday. Market was busy, angels kiddos were playing around and it was like any other village Dean could imagine from seeing in movies. Except all the people had wings. And they were dressed like cave men. Or Native Americans. Technically they _were_ Native Americans, since they had probably existed here for as long as the human versions, but Dean didn't feel like he had any say on that.

He looked around, hoping to spot a pair of black wings again, but he didn't. Just like last time. But just as he was about to head further into the 'square', a deep, familiar voice called his name.

"Dean", Castiel spoke, appearing from the woods starting just after the entrance to his cave. Dean startled a bit and quickly turned to face the angel.

"Uh.. Hi Cas! I was wondering where you were."

"I was merely collecting some mushrooms", Castiel replied, squinting at Dean a bit, "I'm surprised to see you up already."

"Yeah, uh... Couldn't sleep, you know..." Dean lied, shrugging and giving the angel a little awkward grin, hoping it was convincing enough.

"You should be resting, Dean. You had a very high temperature just a few hours ago", Castiel spoke, his voice a little grim. Dean's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What? The fuck's going? What are you talking about?" Dean insisted, confused and finding himself almost worried. What was the angel not telling him? Dean quickly followed Cas when he headed inside, just now noticing the small, wooden basket he was carrying. It was full of different kinds of mushrooms.

"Cas, come on", Dean continued, trying to fix him with a stern glare. The angel was clearly unaffected since he wasn't even facing Dean.

"I found you in the woods yesterday. You were clearly very ill, so I brought you back here and tended you. I learned later from Ava that you had probably come looking for me. Dean-", suddenly Cas was right in his face, his face stern but his blue eyes shining with worry.

"You should not have come looking for me. You could have been hurt worse, maybe even killed. You are not in the condition to go out in the woods by yourself. What if I had not found you?" Castiel spoke, or more like yelled. Dean found himself pressed up against the stone wall, feeling almost terrified of the angel after such an outburst, although he was to give the angel some credit. He was right, after all; Dean had been pretty stupid doing something so risky.

After two second of listening to the sound of intense breathing, Castiel backed off as quickly as he had come into Dean's space. Dean found himself feeling almost aroused when he noticed a faint blush on the angels cheeks. Was that embarrassment?

"I apologize, I should not have lashed out or invaded your privacy in such a manner", he murmured, refusing to look at Dean. Dean took a while to answer, but he made sure it sounded sincere.

“Don't be sorry, Cas. It's okay. I uh... I get why you're so angry, it was real stupid of me to go lookin' for you like that. It's me who should be sorry, so... What it's worth, I'm sorry, Cas", Dean spoke, a little awkward, but definitely honest.

Finally Castiel looked up, right Dean in the eye and his gaze was so intense Dean would probably have a heart attack some day because of those goddamn eyes. He looked almost surprised, so... innocent? Yeah, maybe that was it.

"You are forgiven, Dean", he said softly and nodded slightly. Dean let out a soft breath he didn't realize he had been holding and smiled a little.

"Thanks Cas..." he replied quietly, almost expecting a smile off of Cas, but obviously didn't get one. Had he seen Castiel smile at all during his time here? Probably not, now that he really thought of it, though he most likely wouldn't even remember it, if he had.

Castiel picked up the abandoned basket of mushrooms and went to the back of the cave to probably clean them or something. Dean realized he hadn't even been there; in the back, that is, so he followed after Cas. It was a little darker than in the 'main' cave but you could still see enough because of some weird, glowing mushrooms. They lit the cave slightly in this yellow-green kind of light and Dean thought it was kind of relaxing.

Castiel seated himself and began cleaning the mushrooms while Dean observed the rest of the cave, noting more shelves carved into the stone and also some vases and wooden boxes along the walls. He figured they were probably for storing food and other stuff and carried on, curious about the glowing mushrooms.

"So uh... You grow these mushrooms or what?" Dean asked curiously, glancing at Cas who seemed pretty preoccupied.

"You should go back to your bed and rest", Castiel answered, not taking his eyes off those damn mushrooms.

"Oh, come on, man! I don't wanna sleep the whole day off, I feel fine. Real good, actually. Just, entertain me a little, would ya?" Dean pleaded, annoyed by the angel's stubbornness. But then again, Cas was probably annoyed with Dean too, so yeah... Castiel sighed heavily and paused in the cleaning process to shift his gaze up to Dean.

"Alright, if you so insist", he agreed, clearly exasperated by Dean's behavior. "I have not planted the mushrooms myself, they just happen to grow here. They are also poisonous, so I am going to tell you not to touch them and definitely _not_ to eat them. If you touch one, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soaproot, first in nearly boiling hot water, and then in ice cold water."

Dean stared at Cas, first with wide eyes before he realized the angel was clearly bullshitting him. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Cas, though he wasn't about to test his luck by actually eating any of the glowing mushrooms. If something glowed, you didn't eat it. Dean wasn't _that_ self-destructive.

He continued wandering about, trying to find something to occupy himself with since Cas was clearly doing his best to ignore Dean. That was when he saw it. It was a kind of hole in the rock, not really though, more like a large hollow in the rock, about four and half feet from from the stone floor Dean was standing on. The hollow seemed to be about four feet deep, at least two and half feet high and definitely big enough for a human sized creature to sleep in, maybe even for two. As Dean walked closer, he noted there were several moss blankets and some woven blankets as well to give some softness and padding. It was a nest, clearly, no other word could describe it better. Dean found himself grinning a little as he turned to Cas who was still very focused on those damn mushrooms.

"This your nest, Cas?" Dean asked, smirking teasingly. That made Cas look up with an alarmed look on his face. Ha! Gotcha, you feathery mushroom fanatic.

"Yes, it is my nest. A place for me to sleep in", Castiel spoke with a clearly forced nonchalance in his voice. Ah, so this was something personal, then? Cas didn't seem that embarrassed as earlier, maybe a little though.

"So... This is the place you offered me to sleep in, huh? With you?" Dean teased with a smirk playing on his lips. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Yes, Dean. That is the nest I was talking about then." Castiel nodded and looked back down at the mushrooms he was cleaning, returning to the familiar process. Dean sighed quietly, disappointed that the playful moment was already over. Maybe he could still continue, though?

"So is that where you get it up and going, then?" Dean questioned, taking a seat in front of Cas, watching his face for a reaction. Instead of the embarrassment and shyness he was hoping for, he got a confused frown and a head tilt.

"What do you mean, Dean?" he asked, his eyebrows pinching as he frowned at Dean, trying to understand the human.

"You know, when you get hard and give yourself a little rub down there", Dean continued, finding himself speaking pretty fucking awkwardly. Really Dean? This is what his smoothness had come to? Apparently though, Cas finally realized what he was talking about. His face quickly flamed bright red and his wings snapped open, getting awfully fluffy with feathers fluttering. Dean smirked at the accomplishment and looked at Cas in those wide, blue eyes that flashed with shock and shyness and all other kinds of emotions that Dean didn't even have the time to recognize.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So school's starting again tomorrow, meaning my posting schedule might get a little irregular. I'm really sorry about that, but during the week I just don't have the energy to write much with all the homework and projects... Awful to say this, but you lovelies just gotta deal with that and pray to Chuck that I manage to post at least _something_ on Sundays.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one too, and please do tell me what you think!
> 
> P.S. this chapter isn’t beta read either

_**Castiel's POV** _

After Dean's suggestive phrases and teasing in the back of the cave, Castiel had quickly ushered him out while trying to restrain the blush rising on his cheeks. He couldn't just _blush_ , not in front of a human, in front of _Dean_.

After getting rid of Dean, Castiel quickly finished cleaning and slicing the mushrooms. He needed to relax, blow off some steam, get rid of the tension Dean caused to him. How could Dean, a pathetic little human, make Castiel react the way he did? It wasn't fair! How was Dean doing it? And more importantly, why was Castiel so affected by everything Dean did? 

Putting that aside, Castiel decided he needed to fly a little, maybe pray, perhaps visit the sunflower fields. He walked out of the back chamber of his home, coming to the front chamber, only to find it empty of any living being. Where had Dean gone? He returned outside, where he heard laughing. There was a very interesting and surprising sight in front of him when he stepped past the moss curtains. Dean was playing with the children and Castiel couldn't fight the small, amused smile rising on his lips. The human was badly wounded but as he ran and jumped around, laughing his heart out, it seemed like he couldn't feel any better. It was quite baffling for Castiel to understand. 

He watched there, at the entrance of his house, wanting them all to enjoy each other's company for a while. It was getting late and the temperature was dropping notably. It was autumn time, after all, and they did live quite far north. However, it stated in their clan rules that one must fly during the dark times so human eye couldn't see them and their wings. That meant if Castiel wished to fly and clear his mind, he had to do it in the evenings.

"Dean", he spoke, getting the human's attention. Dean stopped the chasing game they were playing when he heard his name being called and stopped short, turning to watch Castiel with curiosity. 

"Yeah, wassup?" he asked, grinning a little and breathing heavily from running around with the small angels.

"I am going to take a flight", Castiel explained, not wishing to open up the cause of his sudden retreat any more than strictly necessary. Dean cocked an eyebrow at him and stood up straight, walking up to Castiel to talk to him more privately. 

"A flight? What are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yes, I wish to have some time for myself. I believe it's the same act, as you would take a walk", Castiel answered, hoping Dean wouldn't question him any longer.

"Uh, yeah! Okay... Do I have to go inside or something? Have I got a curfew?" A grin quickly returned to Dean's lips and Castiel nearly let out a relieved sigh.

"No, Dean. I might be back a little later than usual, so you should go to sleep whenever you feel tired. I am not sure of the meaning of 'curfew', so no, you don't have one. Please be careful while entertaining the children, you are still healing from your injury and it is not to be taken lightly", Castiel warned, letting a certain amount of authority into his voice to make sure Dean knew his words were not to be taken as a joke. Dean stared at him for a short moment before chuckling softly and nodding.

"Sure thing, Cas. Whatever ya say", he mused, already beginning to turn back to the children now playing by themselves, before he stopped and glanced at Cas. He could swear he saw a flicker or concern flashing in Dean's eyes. He had paid quite a lot of attention to those green eyes and had thought of them maybe a little bit too much. They were so green, Castiel was wondering how no one else saw it. They were sort of apple green, with hints of lime and perhaps emerald. Very beautiful indeed, and Castiel was ready to admit beauty when he saw it.

"Be careful, yeah?" Dean spoke and Castiel barely caught the words- that's how focused he was on those beautiful, apple green eyes. He nodded and watched Dean study his face for a split second before the man smiled shyly and returned to the smaller angels. Castiel felt himself shiver as he was released from under Dean's intense stare, or maybe 'look' would describe it better.

Then Castiel turned and walked through the woods to a cliff which was the most usual place of taking flight for their clan. An angel was able to take flight right off the ground, with some speed of course, but it took more effort and energy than taking flight off a cliff. And Castiel admitted, he loved jumping off a cliff, high in the air, and let his wings snap open to carry his weight so effortlessly through the air, high above the ground. 

As Castiel arrived, he made sure he was alone before walking up to the edge of the cliff. He stood there, still and quiet, enjoying the cold breeze caressing his jet black feathers. Castiel loved coming up here, it was his safe place whenever no one else was around.

After standing there for a few minutes, letting his wings relax and mind clear, he took a few steps back before bolting forward and jumping off into the air. He let himself fall for a good sixty-seventy feet before opening his wings and letting them level him up. He glided through the air almost silently, his breathing steady and strong wings held wide open. It wasn't pitch black yet. The last rays of the sun still colored the sky as Castiel flew high in the air over a small valley. He watched the sky slowly turn darker, until it was shades of blue and gray and he wouldn't be seen by human eye any longer. That's when he let himself roam the open skies more freely, enjoying the wind, calm and quiet.

He flew over hills and forests that had become familiar to him over the many decades of living here. He made his way deeper into the mountains where humans had never been to, except for Niitsitapis, the indigenous people who had lived here with the angels for centuries. Castiel was one of the angels who interacted with them the most, although only for his own purposes and company, since Raphael didn't trust him with an actual position in their clan. Castiel trusted the humans more than others, but that was mostly because they were kind to him, unlike his own people.

Once Castiel saw a small lake in the middle of the mountains, he began descending and slowing down his speed. This lake was where he often came to spend time. Here he felt more at peace, and for some reason he felt less lonely here than in the village. Here he had animals who weren't afraid of him and kept company, he had the lake and the surrounding nature, and the Niitsitapis often came here to spend time with him, especially Aylen, a young woman who had befriended Castiel many years ago.

But now as Castiel landed, the place was empty and quiet. The wind didn't blow, it didn't rain, there were no animals around, or humans. It felt almost wrong to be here now, but Castiel decided he needed this. He needed some time to calm his inner self, he needed some time to think, especially about Dean. And he needed to talk to Aylen about it as soon as they would meet again.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Time had passed some when Castiel felt he should return to Dean. The human was in an unfamiliar environment and Castiel couldn't risk him breaking something or finding Castiel's more personal items - not that he had any in the cave. 

He stood from his spot near the water line and spread his wings slightly to stretch them before taking off. He raised his gaze from the water and looked forward. The beach along the lake was quite straight and wide enough to pass as a runway, so he took a deep breath before bolting into a run. This wasn't his first time taking off from the lake and it was a familiar act, so he quickly spread his wings and rose in the air. He was already quite tired from today's activities, but he had enough energy to return home.

The flight took longer this time, since Castiel's muscles were weary and the wind was stronger from earlier, but eventually he saw the familiar cliff where had taken off from earlier that evening. He landed there, in the same place and his wings folded neatly against his back. Though you couldn't exactly say the word 'neat' when it came to Castiel's wings in particular. They were a mess, really. 

He then made the short and familiar walk through the woods and soon arrived to the entrance of his cave. Nothing seemed to be off, so he walked inside, finding Dean roasting something at the fire. The sight was intriguing to Castiel. The man had not tried cooking earlier. 

"Hello, Dean", he spoke as a greeting. The human nearly jumped to his feet, clearly startled by Castiel's sudden voice in the quiet cave.

"Jesus Christ! Cas, you can't just scare people like that!" he exclaimed, staring at the angel with an annoyed look on his face. Castiel frowned and tilted his head in confusion. 

"My intention was not to scare you, Dean. That is the reason for the 'hello' I spoke as I entered", he explained, puzzled by Dean's annoyance. The man before him just sighed, his shoulders relaxing. 

"Right, whatever..." he mused quietly, turning back to the fire and sitting down. "I got hungry so I, uh... I went out and catched some kind of bird for dinner. Didn't break anything, don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."

Castiel then peeked at the fire where Dean had the bird roasting. He was quite impressed with Dean.

"I am impressed", he admitted and walked over to the fire as well, sitting opposite of Dean. That's when the man looked up and cocked an eyebrow at Castiel.

"Impressed? Oh, so you didn't think a tiny, helpless, pathetic little omega could go out and hunt himself a little food?" Dean spoke, the level of his voice rising notably and a look on his face that could be only described as angry. Castiel tilted his head again and squinted his eyes. 

"No, that is not what I meant", Castiel said, keeping his voice calm and collected. He wasn't that kind of alpha, and omegas had never been in a lower position within their kind. "I am well aware that omegas are capable of taking care of themselves. Alphas and omegas alike are equal here, Dean", he continued, wanting to assure the man of this. Dean clearly had been through tough times and Castiel wanted him to know that this place was safe, at least when it came to him being an omega.

Dean just scoffed at him and turned back to handling the food, ignoring Castiel's speech. He took that as a sign for the end of the conversation and got up to retrieve the mushrooms he collected earlier that day. Since Dean was roasting them some bird, Castiel might as well help by making a mushroom sauce.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while since I updated, I'm so sorry! School got to me and I didn't have the time or the inspiration to write... Still have a writer's block going on, but I figured I owed it to all of you to update, even though it's not even 1000 words... I'll try to make it up to you somehow. It's the winter holiday this week, so we'll see if I can write another chapter.

After eating, Dean headed straight to bed, but Castiel didn't feel good going to sleep with an impending argument over them. He didn't want Dean to feel angry or unsafe, so he didn't move to the back of the cave yet. He sat at the slowly burning fire, watching Dean as the man climbed into his makeshift bed and tried to get comfortable.

"Dean", Castiel spoke softly, wanting to gain Dean's attention, even if he wouldn't respond back.

"I want you to realize that you are safe here. You are equal to everyone else here, nothing less. We treat our people differently from how you humans do", he explained, trying to make Dean understand.

Dean had his back turned to him and he didn't seem to acknowledge anything Castiel said to him, so Castiel decided they could talk about it more in the morning. He stood up and gazed at Dean for a moment before heading to his own nest.

"Good night, Dean", he murmured, before disappearing past the entrance into cave, lighted only by mushrooms.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Castiel woke up early as usual. He stretched his wings and groomed some of the feathers he could easily put back into place. He stood and made his way into the front cave expecting to see Dean sleeping. What he did see, was no man in sight. The fire had died down during the night and the cave was alight only by the dim daylight coming through the small crack between the moss rugs covering the entrance. So Dean had gone out, then?

Castiel headed out to the cool sunlight. The village was always at the point of morning rush during this hour, since many came to trade items first thing in the morning. Castiel's eyes scanned the area and he finally spotted Dean sitting with the other humans of their clan, two of them talking very animatedly. Castiel had always found it fascinating how everyone spoke so differently. Some spoke relentlessly, some barely spoke at all, some talked very calmly, some talked while their hands did very animated gestures. Humans in particular had always fascinated him. Angels tended to be quite boring.

Castiel decided to make his way to the small group of humans to join them. As he got nearer, however, he heard his own name being mentioned by Ava. Her voice was clearly full of excitement and Castiel found himself curious of whatever topic they were talking about. It certainly had something to do with him. He stayed back to listen, although he realized it wasn't right to do that.

❄ ❄ ❄ Dean's POV ❄ ❄ ❄

"You see, Dean... Angelic bonds are far different from human marriages and bonds. They are more... in depth, I would say. Every bond is personal, private, but officiated by the clan leader in a small ritual of sorts. You see, angels live far longer than humans, and that ritual binds two souls together for life, meaning you will live as long as your mate", Emmanuel explained. 

Dean stared at the other man with a deranged look on his face.

"And why are you telling me all this, again?" he asked, glancing at the two women sitting in the small circle with him.

"Because you and Castiel obviously are a perfect match!" Ava insisted with a happy grin. "Can't you see it? There _has to_ be a reason why it was him who found you and saved you and took care of you. This has never happened before, you know", the woman spoke excitedly. 

"You should probably talk to him about it..." Rachel suggested with a small shrug of shoulders. Emmanuel just nodded in agreement.

"Nothing is a coincidence, Dean", he murmured with a small smile that was rarely seen on the man's lips.

"Right..." Dean muttered, looking down at the ground like it was the most interesting thing ever, thinking about everything the three humans had told him. 

"And uh... I can't leave, is that it?" he asked, still avoiding looking at anyone.

No-one said anything for a moment, glancing at each other. Finally Ava touched Dean's shoulder gently, causing him to look up from the ground.

"No... Not yet, at least. I'm sorry, Dean." She sighed softly, offering him an apologetic smile.

"Dean", a deep voice spoke up from behind him and Dean startled, quickly turning around to face Castiel, standing there with a worried frown. 

"Is everything alright?" he asked squinting his eyes and focusing all his attention on Dean. It was a little exasperating.

"Uh, yeah, fine. What's up?" Dean asked, trying to cover up the fact that he was feeling pretty vulnerable.

"Have you eaten yet?" Castiel continued, still looking at Dean and Dean only. Was the dude always like this?

"Yeah, 'course I have. Was there something you actually wanted?"

Castiel squinted his eyes and tilted his head a little, looking at Dean before finally moving his piercing gaze to the three other humans. Had he heard their conversation? What was he thinking right now?

"No", he finally replied, looking at Dean yet again. "I shall retreat now", he continued before turning around and making his way to somewhere else, Dean didn't know, yet he still found himself desiring to find out.

"Dude's weird", he muttered. 

"Oh, well, maybe a little, but he definitely likes you. He doesn't talk to anyone else like that. 'Is everything alright' and 'Have you eaten', he cares about you so much..." Ava sighed dramatically. "You're a perfect match!"

"Definitely have hots for each other", Rachel smirked, snorting quietly. 

"Oh shut up, Ray! You can't ruin this romantic moment by your inappropriate thoughts!" Ava insisted, smacking her shoulder playfully. 

Emmanuel chuckled quietly and leaned closer to Dean, "One might think Ava and Rachel are a couple", he mused.


End file.
